POLK COUNTY – With property tax bills due in just a couple of weeks from now for most people, we thought we would track down the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions people have about their tax bills. Some of these questions were submitted through the Inter-County Leader’s Facebook page during late December and early January.
What is this charge for “Northwoods Tech Col”?
Northwoods Technical College is the new name of our community college formerly known as WITC. Every resident in the state pays for a technical college. The location of your property in the state determines which technical college your tax dollars go toward.
What happens if I don’t pay my taxes?
You have two options once you receive your tax bill. Pay the full amount, or pay the first installment by the Jan. 31 deadline. If you fail do to do either, your taxes will become delinquent. If you pay your taxes late, you must pay interest on the unpaid portion. This interest goes back to Feb. 1 and accumulates at the rate of 1% per month. You could lose your property if you choose to not pay your taxes.
Do people with children pay more taxes than people who don’t have children in school?
No. Everyone pays on the value of their property, not the size of their household.
Do people who rent pay property taxes?
No. The person who owns the property receives the tax bill and typically pays the taxes.
Can you dispute the assessed value of your property? What does that process look like?
Yes. First speak with your assessor. Typically, the questions you have may be settled there. The next step would be to attend your municipality’s open book meeting. An open book meeting is a session where all the municipality’s property assessments are open for examination by the public. The property owner can informally discuss the property with the local assessor. If you can’t reach an agreement with the assessor at the open book, then you can attend your municipality’s board of review meeting. The board of review is a committee, typically a town board but not always, whose job is to correct errors on the assessment of property, much like a jury or sounding board between the property owner and the local assessor.
Do property taxes always go up, or can they go down?
Property taxes can go up and down. If improvements are made to a property, they generally will go up. If someone decides to use their property differently, the assessor may change their land assessment based on how they are using the property; therefore, the tax bill could fluctuate.
What are my taxes used for?
Your municipality and your county submit their budgets with the amount of money they are requesting from their taxpayers to run their municipality and county. These budgets usually include funds to pay their clerks, treasurers, other government employees and services, road crews, road improvements, upkeep of their buildings, road repairs, equipment purchases and repairs, and payments to election workers. Your municipality also must pay their local fire departments and schools, including the community college.
What is the lottery and gaming credit?
The lottery and gaming credit provides a direct property tax relief to qualifying taxpayers on their property tax bills. A property owner must apply for this credit, and their property must be their primary home of residence.
If you have any questions about your taxes, you are encouraged to call your local municipality whose number is listed on your tax bill. You may also reach out to the Polk County Treasurer’s Office at 715-485-9255.
